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Lot # 242: 1986 Billy Martin Framed Display, "I May Not Have Been The Best Yankee To Put On The Pinstripes, But I Am The Proudest"

Starting Bid: $100.00

Bids: 1 (Bid History)

Time Left: Auction closed
Lot / Auction Closed




This lot is closed. Bidding is not allowed.

Item was in Auction "2024 Fall Pop-Up",
which ran from 11/3/2024 12:00 PM to
11/17/2024 10:00 PM



"I may not have been the best Yankee to put on the pinstripes, but I am the proudest," is the verbiage of the offering, a framed display of the aforementioned quotation from the always-controversial player and manager. Martin grew up in the Oakland area, in California. In the minor leagues, he played a number of seasons for the Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League, managed by Hall of Fame manager Casey Stengel. Martin's competitive drive and clutch performances impressed Stengel, and when "The Ole Professor" later managed the New York Yankees, he made sure to have Billy Martin at second base. Martin played 11 Major League seasons (1950-53 & 1955-61), with seven teams, but he is most remembered for his seasons with the New York Yankees (1950-53 & 1955-57). Martin was a good fielder with above-average range, and his Major League career batting average was .257 with 64 home runs. But it was in the World Series, and Martin played 28 games in five World Series, each one a Yankee World Championship, that Martin played his best. He batted .333 in the fall classic, with a terrific World Series OPS of .937. When writers and fans commented that Martin was a favorite of Stengel, Casey said, "If liking a kid who never let me down is favoritism, then I plead guilty." Martin had boxed in amateur bouts in his youth, and he was a known baseball brawler, with a short fuse. He was part of a famed brawl that occurred at New York City's Copacabana nightclub in 1957, and it resulted in his soon being traded from the Yankees, which apparently broke Martin's heart. Martin became a manager after his playing career, and he skippered Major Leagues teams in 16 different seasons, managing the New York Yankees five different times over eight seasons, and also managing the Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, and Minnesota Twins. He won two pennants and one World Series as a Yankee manager.

The offered framed display also has "Billy Martin August 1986" machine printed below the aforementioned quotation. The quotation is matted and framed to approx. 17.5x35.5. The display is in EXCELLENT condition, and it expresses Martin's pride in being a New York Yankee, a pride that drove him to numerous fistfights and tremendous success, especially when it mattered most, in the World Series.

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